Highlights from the 64th Annual ADA Awards Banquet

Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi, ADA President Rep. Lynn Woolsey, Sen. John Kerry, and others joined hundreds of activists for the 64th annual Americans for Democratic Action Awards Banquet last week!

ADA members, labor leaders, Members of Congress and Washington progressives gathered together to honor House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel and ADA Counsel Jack Blum. Check out the slideshow from the event and hear more about the evening here!

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Honoring Jim Jontz

Before the banquet festivities, the ADA Education Fund hosted their annual lecture in honor of the late Jim Jontz (D-IN), former Member of Congress and President of ADA. This year’s topic: Health Care policy at the state level.

Speakers included:
-Ms. Karen Davis, President of the Commonwealth Fund
-Hon. Heather Mizeur, Maryland Delegate and a member of the State Legislators for Health Reform Task Force
-Ms. Tara Straw, Legislative and Policy Director of Health Care for America Now (HCAN)

It was a substantive discussion about how health care is moving forward in many states in the wake of the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Special thanks to our speakers and audience members who joined us in honoring this progressive hero.

ADA’s Vote for Jobs Campaign

Long before the President announced his jobs plan, ADA was putting together an inter-generational coalition of advocacy groups focused on the nation’s unemployment crisis. Inspired by an ADA Education Fund congressional briefing on youth unemployment, the Vote for Jobs campaign is urging that Congress move forward on targeted employment legislation. Through education, organization and mobilization efforts, it also seeks to make employment a central issue of the deficit “super committee” and next year’s elections. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi cited the Vote for Jobs campaign in her remarks at the ADA banquet last week. You can find out more at votejobsnow.org and follow the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.

Noteworthy:

Have you checked out ADA Today yet? This quarterly publication features articles by Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Keith Ellison and Rep. Jim McDermott. It also has articles on marriage equality, the real unemployment rate, and the Libyan intervention. Print it out today, or contact our office for your copy!

Protecting Social Security against Rick Perry and his cronies is critical. As ADA blogger Bob Lucore points out, now there's a way -- The Keeping Our Social Security Promises Act would make Social Security fully solvent for at least the next 75 years without cutting benefits or changing the retirement age. (Read more!)

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